The 2017 IPL auction is likely to be one where a few players attract large bids, while the majority are bought at more prudent prices – keeping with the trend in recent years.

This dichotomy is a result of the imbalance between supply and demand: if only a few players are capable of filling specific holes in several teams, the franchises will fight over them.

For example, because high-quality Indian allrounders are in short supply they usually attract massive bids, especially if there are only one or two in the auction: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore in 2014, INR 16 crore in 2015), Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore in 2014, INR 10.5 crore in 2015), Ravindra Jadeja (undisclosed amount after maximum bid of $2 million in 2012) and Pawan Negi (INR 8.5 crore 2016).

So here’s how the teams stack up at present, and a look at what they need and whom they might buy on February 20.

Expected auction trends

Intense bidding for overseas allrounders and fast bowlers

Spinners unlikely to fetch high prices

KKR likely to be the most active team at the auction

Average price for batsmen likely to be low because most teams don’t need many more batsmen

Rising Pune Supergiants

After finishing second last in 2016, Supergiants released 11 players – six of them overseas – ahead of the auction, further depleting their one-dimensional squad. No other team let go of as many players as Supergiants did. They did buy batsman Mayank Agarwal from Delhi Daredevils during the transfer winder, though.

In their first season, Lions finished top of the league but failed to make the final after losing both their playoff matches. They released eight players – the injured Dale Steyn the only overseas player among them – and so their Indian stocks might need replenishing.

Having failed to make the playoffs in 2016, Mumbai released eight players but still have 20 left in their squad ahead of the auction. They kept their core intact despite some of their key players not being part of the international circuit anymore and others having struggled with injury between seasons. Their biggest asset is perhaps their domestic-player bench strength.

After finishing fourth last season, Knight Riders offloaded six overseas players – and nine in all – and then lost allrounder Andre Russell to an anti-doping code violation. They are left with only three overseas players in their lean group of 14, so expect them to go hard for foreign and Indian talent.

The defending champions released six players – Karn Sharma, Eoin Morgan and Trent Boult among them – and are left with 17, of which only five are overseas. With a settled first XI, they have considerable balance in their purse to make valuable additions to their squad.

Runners-up last year, RCB are the best team to never win the IPL. They released ten players before the auction but still have 20 players, among whom are the leading batsmen and bowlers in T20 cricket. They have eight overseas players already so can buy only one at the auction.

– An overseas allrounder because Watson is injury prone, or an overseas fast bowler because Starc’s workload may have to be managed and Milne hasn’t yet played a competitive game since a solitary match in IPL 2016.

– An Indian offspinner because they don’t have one, and one back-up seamer for Harshal and Aravind.

Kings XI were rock bottom last season, after finishing on the wrong end of several tight games. They retained 19 players, though, and released only four – the fewest among all the teams. On paper, they have a squad full of potential.

Daredevils’ young squad finished sixth last season and the franchise has retained 18 of its players ahead of the auction. Of the seven players they let go, Pawan Negi and Imran Tahir were the most notable.